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to hobo

to hobo

8.4
To travel and live without a permanent home, moving from place to place
  • verb
  • /ˈhoʊboʊ/
  • Archaic
translation icon : vagabundear
  • Many people choose to hobo during the summer, exploring new towns and meeting interesting people along the way.

Examples

  • So your Instagram handles hobo Jordo so early on in your life, you hoboat around the US on freight trains.

  • Yeah, Jack Kerouac on the road hobos the road.

  • After losing his job, he decided to hobo across the country in search of new opportunities.

  • During his youth, he would often hobo from city to city, living a life of adventure and freedom.

Synonyms

to bum
vsto hobo
  • Informal
1 8.9

To travel by asking strangers for rides or money

does the same travel but without relying on asking strangers
to vagabonding
vsto hobo
8.1

To travel from place to place and live without a fixed home

is similar but often moves without a permanent job or home

Antonyms

463 2.5

To live in a place, often for a long time

Idioms

9.9

To feel as if you have no home and very little money

Compounds

hobo camp
  • Archaic
1 9.1

A place where homeless people live temporarily, often in tents or simple shelters

Surface Forms

hobo infinitive
hoboed past
hoboed past participle
hoboing present participle
hobos third person singular

Etymology

Hobo as a verb comes from the same idea of a travelling worker, hoe-boy, so to hobo is to move from place to place to find work or live without a fixed home. That's why using hobo as a verb means to travel and live like a hobo.